A scene in Exchange Alley. This once thriving thoroughfare originally connected Canal
Street with the St. Louis Exchange Hotel. Exchange Place, as it was then called, was lined with
banks and shops. It formed one of the commercial centers of the Crescent City during the 19th
century. The function of Exchange Place became obscured in the early part of this century when
its route between Conti and St. Louis Streets was demolished to make way for the new Civil
Court House fronting on Royal Street. In recent years Exchange Alley between Bienville and
Conti Streets, at least, has enjoyed something of a comeback, with several restaurants, law
offices, and art galleries opening their doors to the old walkway.